Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LA MIRADA, Calif. – The Whittier College men's soccer team upset No. 22 Biola University on the road Saturday 2-1 as they grabbed their first win of 2015 handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.
Biola who was coming off an upset win over No. 3 Marymount College (Calif.) controlled all facets of the game but when the final whistle blew, it was the Poets who emerged with the victory avenging their 4-0 loss back in 2011.
The Poets put the Eagles in a deficit in the 26th minute coming off the foot of senior Dylan Fortin (San Diego, Calif.) who connected for his first goal of the season from outside the box, not leaving much of a chance for Eagles' keeper JT Addington.
Following the goal, the Eagles would add another nine shots and had a corner kick opportunity, which was nearly finished but sophomore keeper Jorge Rivas (Lake Forest, Calif.) would deny BU any chance to knot up the game as the score would remain 1-0 at the half.
Biola maintained their offensive pressure in the second half adding another 15 shots, which put them at 29 for the game but were denied by Rivas who collected seven saves in ninety minutes, preserving his first win of 2015.
As the seconds ticked off the scoreboard deeper in the second half the confidence began to fade with the Eagles and the pressure began to set in. That pressure went through the roof after the Poets tacked on their second goal in the 60th minute. The goal came from freshman Kalab Karlek (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) who finished a long throw in from Fortin that deflected off the goalie into the box, which he was able to finish.
The pressure of a two-goal deficit forced many poorly timed passes that were easy for Whittier defenders to sweep away and had the Eagles' frustration visibly begin to rise on the pitch.
In the 78th minute, Biola finally got on the scoreboard with Thomas Samayoa who found himself on the end of a service from Devin Leon, and despite having a few more runs in their offensive third, BU would be unable to find the equalizer as Whittier would hold for the 2-1 victory.
Pablo Gomez (Cardiff by the Sea) led the offense with two shots with one being on goal, while Fortin had a goal and an assist.
Whittier returns to the pitch this Wednesday, September 9 as they host Occidental College beginning at 7:00pm for their home and SCIAC opener.
